Automatic dog waste apparatus

ABSTRACT

A machine or apparatus to capture dog urine and solid waste for generally indoor use by a dog owner that automatically or manually advances fresh pads on a predetermined programming of the machine by the control module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This present invention is a continuation-in-part which claims priorityto U.S. application Ser. No. 15/344,209 filed Nov. 4, 2016 entitled “APet Waste Cartridge,” which claims the benefit of the followingprovisional U.S. Applications: U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/250,615filed Nov. 4, 2015 entitled “Dog Pad,” U.S. Application Ser. No.62/345,500 filed Jun. 3, 2016 entitled “Dog Pad,” and U.S. ApplicationSer. No. 62/351,792 filed Jun. 17, 2016 entitled “Automatic Pad RollSystem.” This present invention claims priority to the followingprovisional U.S. Applications: U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/345,500filed Jun. 3, 2016 entitled “Dog Pad,” and U.S. Application Ser. No.62/351,792 filed Jun. 17, 2016 entitled “Automatic Pad Roll System.”

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a removable pet waste cartridge used incombination with a pet waste machine system and, in particular, to agenerally removable and disposable pet waste cartridge that disposes ofboth the waste and its odor that are contained within a generally sealedwaste pad when the pad is rolled up in its finished state for removalfrom the waste machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are millions of pet dogs in the United States and the rest ofNorth America. Many dog owners even have more than one dog within theirresidence in Urban and Rural North America. This large number of dogsexcretes a large amount of both liquid and solid waste each day of theyear. Due to the busy commitments and work schedules of pet owners, thedogs are left in the residence unattended for hours or days at a time toaccommodate work and event schedules of the pet owners. Dogs are knownto urinate several times a day and excrete solid wastes at least oncedaily too. Dog owners want to keep their residences clean and withoutthe attendant odor accompanying either urination or solid wasteexcrement. Pet owners are also known to teach their dogs or pets toeliminate their bodily wastes on paper within their residences orcondition their pets to eliminate their waste outdoors when the petowner takes the pet for a walk outdoors. Many municipalities haveadopted “pooper scooper” laws for sanitary reasons that means pet ownersare picking up nasty solid waste on their walks with the pet outdoors.

Outdoor elimination of pet waste can become problematic due to extremeweather conditions found by pet owners in the time allotted to dailywalk their pet. If the weather is nasty, the walk often gets postponedor delayed that stresses out the pet. Therefore, housebreaking pads areused by tens of thousands of home owners with their puppies and dogsaround the country. Dog owners, especially in large cities where dogparks and available yards are at a minimum, generally prefer to “paper”train their pets. Because of work schedules, some owners may not gethome to walk the dog on time, so they “paper” train the pet to use thepads to prevent the dog from eliminating indiscriminately in the houseor apartment. Many apartment dwelling dogs, especially among the smallerbreeds, are “paper” trained exclusively. Whether they are used forhousebreaking for puppies or for “paper” training indoor dogs, who willuse these pads throughout their lifetime, housebreaking pads are one ofthe larger expenditures for dog owners.

In U.S. Pat. No. 8,464,662, describes An Apparatus that maintainshousebreaking pads for a pet owner, automatically removing and sealingsoiled pads and waste and replacing the soiled pad with a clean pad. Theapparatus senses when a pet is using a housebreaking pad, and when thepet is finished, removes and seals the pad and the waste automatically,moving the pad into a repository for later disposal and replacing thesoiled pad with a clean pad. The apparatus seals the waste and pad withplastic film having low vapor permeability for disposal on a once-dailyor less frequent basis. The apparatus minimizes or eliminates odorsassociated with canine elimination by removing the pads immediatelyafter elimination is completed, and sealing the waste. A control unit,triggered by a sensor, has a single cycle or a multiple cycle operation,operating a motor that rolls the soiled composite pad onto an arbor inthe repository.

Another major problem that plagues pet owners is the annoyance ofreplacing soiled pads. Offensive odors from the soiled pads may permeatethe household. Owners need to flush the feces down a toilet or place ina sealed container to decrease the odor. Dogs, especially puppies, whenstressed sometimes develop the undesirable habit of eating their ownfeces. If the dog develops the habit, the dog owner needs to pick upfecal matter quickly to break the habit. Disposing of the fecal matterand the pads is not only a continual annoyance, but also causes dogowners to bend down multiple times a day, often bothering the lower backand stressing the knees. There is also the possibility that the petowner will end up with urination or fecal matter on their hands,clothing or other residential items when disposing of open faced pads orpaper haphazardly rolled up to contain the pet waste. This is especiallyburdensome to the elderly, physically handicapped, and blind who havecompanion, assistance, or guide dogs. The handling of pet waste may alsoaffect the overall health of the elderly person who comes in contactwith fecal or urination on their hands and clothing and due to pooreyesight or numbness in their fingers does not realize that the petwaste is still on their hands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a removable anddisposable pet waste cartridge.

A further object of the present invention is providing a removable petwaste cartridge where a pet owner avoids touching the pet waste at timeof disposing of a spent pet waste cartridge.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pet wastecartridge that seals in the liquid and solid pet wastes when the wastepad is rolled up into a final state for disposal.

A removable waste cartridge in combination with a pet waste machinecomprises a pad in a roll of a predetermined diameter, length and widthhaving an absorbent front side and a back side of non-permeablematerial. A take-up rod passes through the axis of the pad during itstake-up on the rod. A pair of end caps is mounted at opposing ends ofthe rod for guiding the take-up function of the soiled portion of thepad. The pad roll of the waste cartridge is placed in a supply assemblyat one end of the waste machine to have one end of the roll stretchedacross a pet bed on the machine for a connection to a take-up rod with apair of end caps mounted on opposing ends of the rod that is located inthe take-up assembly during operation of the machine.

Further, the waste machine advances the roll of pads either manually orautomatically after pet waste is deposited and then observed, orautomatically detected on the pad until the entire roll of pads is woundaround the take-up rod and ready for disposal with the end caps holdingthe pet waste and attendant odor therein.

Moreover, a pet waste removable cartridge for use with a pet wastemachine comprises a take-up core of a predetermined diameter, length andwidth. The roll of waste pad formed by winding a flexible materialaround the core, said roll of waste pad having an absorbent wastesurface on one side and a non-permeable surface on the other side; and apair of generally cylindrical end caps although the end caps are capableof other shapes as a square or other shapes between a circle and asquare mounted on opposing ends of the core for guiding the rolling ofthe pad around the core during the take up of the waste pad when windingit around the core. The pet waste removable cartridge includes a take upcore or rod passing through the axis of the rolled up waste pad in thetake-up assembly.

The pet waste removable cartridge has one end of the waste pad attachedto the rod by tape by holes in the pad fitting over corresponding pinsmounted on the rod, by feeding the pad through a slot in the rodincluding a tapering of the pad to facilitate the feeding of the padthrough the slot or by feeding the pad under one or more clipsintegrally formed on the rod or integrally formed on the end cap. Thepet waste removable cartridge includes the end caps to seal or partiallyseal exposed ends of the rolled up waste pad to contain the odor andwaste therein.

The pet waste removable cartridge with at least one end cap provides aninterface with the waste machine for manual or automatic advancement ofthe waste pad therethrough. The waste pad is capable of manually beingadvanced from the supply assembly to the take-up assembly by a handlecrank mechanically connected to the rod or by a toot treadle that ismechanically connected to the rod when stepped upon or a foot rollermechanically connected to the rod for its rotation. The pet wasteremovable cartridge requires the take-up core to interface directly to amechanism for manual or automatic advancement of the waste pad with orwithout the end caps.

The pet waste removable cartridge includes a waste pad with a series ofmarks for detection by waste machine to determine pad status in themachine. For example, the end user requires information about how muchwaste paper or pad is left in the supply assembly. Also, when a new rollis installed to replace a spent one, the machine needs to know that anew roll of waste paper is installed. And there are many more signals tothe machine by how the series of mark or holes or notches on the paperare capable of indicating or configuring the machine with its electroniccontrol components and drive motor within the control module.

A roll of pet waste paper for use with a waste machine comprises a wastepad or paper with an absorbent front side material and a non-absorbenthack side. This configuration of the roll of waste paper preventsleakage of urine and feces from the pet through the waste paper. Themarks on the roll of waste paper further alerts the end user of variousstates of the roll of waste paper as it is consumed by manual andautomatic advancement through the machine per a designed program enteredinto the control module by the end user. The mark on the waste paperprovides information for determining future use or information on how toset up the machine for future use by the end user. The marks on the petwaste paper are printed on either the front or back sides of the wastepaper. In addition, the marks on the pet waste paper are either visibleor invisible on the front or back sides of the waste paper. The marks onthe pet waste paper are absorptive or reflective to infrared light, UVlight or other light spectrums. The marks on the pet waste paper areoften printed at predetermined spaced intervals or at variably spacedintervals usually at one of the edges along a length of the paper. Themarks on the pet waste further include holes or notches on the paperthat replace or add to the marks on the waste paper. The pet waste paperincludes an absorptive non-woven spun bond on a top layer for tearresistance, an absorbent polymer in a middle layer and a plasticnon-absorbent bottom layer for leak protection from the liquid and solidwaste.

An apparatus for receiving, removing and sealing a pet waste within aroll of pads comprises a pet waste station having a generally flatparallel surface with respect to a floor and at a predetermined heightsabove the floor for a pet to easily step from the floor onto the wastestation in order to urinate or leave solid waste behind on a portion ofthe exposed roll of pads laying across the flat surface of the wastestation that becomes soiled by the pet waste; a supply housing forholding a fresh supply of roll of pads therein connected to one end ofthe waste station; and

a take up housing-connected to an opposing end of the waste station forrolling up and sealing the soiled roll of pads for disposal; and

The roll of pads are defined as a continuous roll of a laminate materialof at least a single ply of a super absorbent material or waste paperwhich one side is an impervious backside or bottom of a polymer orplastic that has the printed markings thereon that are readable by aninfrared sensor mounted on the control module that looks through a slotin the machine to read the markings arranged in a pattern to provideinformation about the advancement of the waste paper through the machineor apparatus. The thin waste paper to collect dog urine and solid wastescould range from a single layer to five layers.

The system includes An apparatus having predetermined cycles forautomatically removing a pet soiled pad and replacing the removed soiledpet pad with a fresh pet pad to minimize the odor from the soiled padcomprising a pet waste platform configured to be a predetermined heightabove the floor and to be a predetermined width and length; a supplyhousing for receiving a fresh roll of pads located at one end of thelength of the platform having a generally cylindrical or geometrictrough shape with a bottom half generally below the waste platform and acover top half for securing the fresh supply of pads within the supplyhousing;

-   a take up housing for receiving the soiled roll of pads located at    the other end of the length of the platform having a generally    cylindrical or geometric trough shape with a bottom half generally    below the waste platform and a cover top half for securing the    soiled roll of pads within the take up housing; a take up assembly    connected to an end of the first fresh roll of pads in the take up    housing for winding the soiled roll of pads around a rod in the take    up assembly; a motor having a drive shaft mechanically or an    electrically located or coupled, respectively, to the rod for    advancing a pad across the waste platform in a predetermined manner;    and-   a controller with inputs from a sensor connected to the apparatus or    from an end user to activate the motor to advance the pad either a    fall-length or a fractional-length of the platform in response to    the condition of the roll of pads with elapsed time or set delayed    of time or wetness or liquid thereon or location of the pet or other    known factors.

A pet pad for capturing liquids or solid wastes comprises a roll of alaminate pad material capable of receiving and absorbing liquids orsolid wastes having a predetermined diameter, length, width andthickness configured to be stretched across a pet waste bed from asupply end to a take up end of an automatic or a manual pet wastemachine; and at least one marking on a flat surface of the laminate padmaterial for determining usage of the pad material by the machine. Asystem that senses the presence of waste and then advances the padforward to the take up assembly until the pad on the surface platform issensed to be clean. So the marks could be also located anywhere on thepad and not only on the edge of the pad.

A pet laminate for collecting urine and solid wastes comprising

-   a. a roll of laminate material with at least one absorbent layer; a    series of markings in a pattern along an edge of the laminate for    providing information about the use of the laminate material; and-   b. a sensor on a pet machine having a pet platform to collect wastes    for reading the markings pattern on the laminate material passing    across the pet platform to provide the machine with an indication of    how much paper to advance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described by way of followingdrawings pointing out the various details to the inventive automatic ormanual pad roll system. The main features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be better understood with the following descriptions,claims, and drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention demonstratinga pet eliminating on a roll of waste pads.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention with apartial elevation cut away showing the roll of waste pads in the supplyassembly stretched across the pet bed to a take-up rod in the take-upassembly which shows a repository portion of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of the invention with apartial elevation cut away showing the roll of waste pads in the supplyassembly stretched across the pet bed to a take-up rod in the take-upassembly which shows a repository portion of the invention

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing thelower portion of the machine and the pet bed for receiving a pet roll ofwaste pads therein.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing themachine with the supply and take-up assembly covers open for receiving apet roll of waste pads therein.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention demonstratingthe attachment of a removable control and drive module connection to thetake-up assembly.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention demonstratinga removable control and drive module of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the components in the wastecartridge of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a waste cartridge ready for disposal of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the waste cartridgecomponents ready for installation into the waste machine.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention with a rollof waste pad being installed on a waste machine.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic perspective view continuation of the inventionwith a roll of waste pad being installed on a waste machine.

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing themachine with the supply assembly receiving a pet roll of waste padstherein.

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing themachine with the take-up assembly with the removal of the wastecartridge for disposal with the pet waste therein.

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing thegearing and drive attachment of machine to the take-up assembly forreceiving an end of pet roll of waste pads under a pair of clips at oneend of the take-up rod.

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing thegearing and drive attachment of machine to the take-up assembly forreceiving an end of pet roll of waste pads under a pair of clips at oneend of the take-up rod and showing attachment of the one end of the padto the clip.

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing theattachment of the one end of the pad to the clip.

FIG. 18 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing themeshing of the gear on the end cap to the drive gear on the control anddrive module.

FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing theattachment of the one end of the pad with holes to pins on the take-uprod.

FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing ahand crank mechanically connected to the take-up rod in the take-upassembly.

FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing afoot treadle mechanically connected to the take-up rod in the take-upassembly.

FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention showing afoot roll mechanically connected to the take-up rod in the take-upassembly.

FIG. 23 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention with thecovers on the supply and take-up assembly opened showing theinstallation of a waste cartridge therein.

FIG. 24 is a further diagrammatic perspective view of the invention withthe covers on the supply and take-up assembly opened showing theinstalled waste cartridge therein.

FIG. 25 is another diagrammatic perspective view of the invention withthe covers on the supply and take-up assembly opened showing theinstalled waste cartridge therein.

FIG. 26 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention with thecovers on the supply and take-up assembly closed showing the installedwaste cartridge and machine ready for a pet elimination.

FIG. 27 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a dog on the machine beingviewed by infrared or other type of sensor according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 28 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a both infrared sensors onthe machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a diagrammatic perspective closer view of a both infraredsensors on the machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a bottom diagrammatic perspective view of both infraredsensors on the machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a multiply waste paper orpad material used with the machine or apparatus according to the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an automatic or manual waste cartridge in combinationwith a waste machine system 10 with a waste pad 12 for later disposalwith a pet 22 eliminating solid waste 24 on the pad 12. The apparatus ormachine 14 detects the pet 22 eliminating solid waste 24 and when thepet 22 leaves the apparatus 14, the apparatus 14 automatically cyclesthe replacing of that portion of the soiled pad with a clean new portionfrom the pad roll 26 by removing and sealing the soiled portion of thepad 12 in a take-up assembly 20 and feeding a clean portion of the padroll 26 from a supply assembly 18. The apparatus is programmed to have astage interval where the pet 22 stands on the portion of exposed pad 12on a pet bed 16, the stage interval is followed by a repository intervalas shown in FIG. 2 where the apparatus 14 removes and seals the soiledportion of the pad 12 with the solid waste 24 and any urine in thetake-up assembly 20 wherein the take-up rod or core 28 rotates in acounterclockwise direction to take up and sealed the soiled pad woundaround the rod 28 within the take-up assembly 20 for later removal andthen disposal.

The repository portion is aesthetically covered by a cylindrical halfportion of the machine 14 attached to the pet bed 16 with a rotatablecover 34 in the take-up assembly 20 to hide the soiled portion 12 of thepad roll 26. The elimination stage portion for the pet 22 has themachine bed 16 connected between the supply and take-up assemblies 18and 20, respectively, where the waste pad portion 12 there between isset on top of the pet bed 16, The pet 22 stands on top of the padportion 12 on the pet bed 16 and eliminate feces 24 and urine. Thesupply assembly also has a rotatable cover 32 with a lower cylindricalportion 29 for receiving the pad roll 26 of a predetermined length,width and diameter. The pad roll 26 when housed within the supplyassembly 18 has its axis below the pet bed 16 and the waste pad portionstretched across the bed 16 to the take-up rod 28 is below the pet bed16 to create the proper friction and tension of the pad 12 across thebed without jamming or hampering the take-up of the soiled portions ofthe pad roll 26 within the take-up assembly 20 and to provide taking upthe soiled pad without any part of the machine contacting the top,soiled surface of the pad. The covers 32 on the supply assembly whenclosed further provides the proper tension on the waste paper or padportion 12 moving across the bed 16 from the supply to the take-upassemblies, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 26.

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate a waste cartridge 44 and its components asfollows: a core or rod 28, a pair of end caps 42 connected by a pressfit to the opposing ends of the rod 28. The end cap often includes agear 39 to mesh with corresponding teeth on a gear 38 on the drive shaftconnected to the drive with a removable control and drive module 36 thatis key fitted with a pair of guide pins 40 to the side of the take-upassembly where the gear 38 extends through one side of the take-upassembly to engage the identical meshing teeth on the gear 39 on the endcap to rotate the take-up rod or core 28 in a counterclockwise rotationas shown in FIG. 2. The pad roll 26 is connected by holes at one end ofthe pad roll as shown in FIG. 19 press fitted over pins 54 on the rod28. The one end of the pad roll 26 is capable of being fed through aslot in the rod 28 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 24 wherein the pad roll 26 isinstalled in the cylindrical half 29 of the supply assembly and thetake-up rod 28 with the one end of the pad roll 26 inserted through aslot on the rod 28 and attendant end caps 42 are inserted into thecylindrical half base 30 whereupon the covers 32 and 34 are closed andthe first portion of the fresh waste pad 12 is stretched across the bed16 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 25 and 26.

As further shown in FIG. 9, marks 46 are on the pad border for themachine to read and provide information depending on the spacing andinterval of the marks 46 thereon information such as the amount of theroll left for use or a fresh roll was just installed is the type ofinformation available from these marks on the waste paper and pad roll.

FIGS. 11-18 show the installation of the waste paper on the take-up rod28 from stretching the waste paper 12 from the pad roll 26 across thebed 16 to the take-up rod 28 and the use of clips at one end of thetake-up rod 28 wherein a right angle nib 50 provides friction againstthe paper when inserted underneath a pair of clips on one end of the rod28 or under a pair of clips on opposing ends of the rod. The nib 50 withthe friction engagement makes sure that the waste paper 12 does not slipoff the clips on the first several counterclockwise turns of the rodwithin the housing of take-up assembly 20.

In FIGS. 20-22 illustrate manual advancement of the waste paper acrossthe bed 16. A handle crank that is mechanically connected to the rod 28to advance the soiled pad 12. A treadle 58 is shown in FIG. 21 which isstepped on to advance the pad, and FIG. 22 shows a foot rollmechanically connected to the rod 28 to advance the pad and take-up thesoiled portion of the pad on the pet bed 16 after pet 22 eliminate itswaste.

FIG. 18 shows the meshing of identical tooth gears 38 on the end cap andgear drive on the removable control and drive module 36 duringinstallation of the take-up rod 28 in the take-up assembly 20. FIGS. 6and 7 show the removable control and drive module 36 that is used toprogram the movement of the pad across the bed 16 of the machine 14. Inoperation, the waste cartridge with its pad roll 26 is inserted into thesupply assembly 18 while its take-up rod 28 attached to one end of padis inserted into the take-up assembly 20 with a portion of the pad 12stretched across the pet bed 16.

Then the covers of the supply and take-up 32 and 34, respectively, areclosed and the waste machine is ready to accept its first dog or otherpet for the elimination of its waste.

A roll of pet waste paper 26 for use with a pet waste machine 14comprises an absorbent front side material on a roll of pet waste paperand a nonabsorbent back side material on the roll of waste paper orwaste pad. Further, the waste paper or pad includes an absorptivenon-woven spun bond on a top layer for tear resistance, an absorbentpolymer in a middle layer and a plastic non-absorbent bottom layer forleak protection from the liquid and solid waste. The pet waste paper mayalso include an air laid paper top layer allowing the removal of otherlayers. The pet waste paper is capable of being configured to includeeither a four or five layer construction with the mixing of absorbentand non-absorbent or non-permeable layers. It is possible to have singlelayer with absorbent and non-absorbent on opposing sides of the singlelayer.

FIGS. 27-30 shows the infrared sensors on the machine or apparatus fordetecting the marking on the waste paper or pads passing over theinfrared sensor 264. The pet sensor beam 262 is used to detect thepresence of a dog on the waste station or platform of the apparatus andif the dog is sensed, a programmed operation will not occur. There is alower infrared sensor 264 on the control module for sensing the papermarkings as the paper passes from the supply housing across the wastebed to the take up housing on the rod reel therein. The paper markings268 help to determine the information necessary to determine paperadvancement, remaining paper left on a roll of pads and when the end ofthe roll of pads is about to occur.

The paper or pad is generally composed of five layers but may be aslittle as just one layer too. The top sheet 270 is a bonded layer toprevent dog paws from ripping the paper. The next layer is a tissuelayer 272 that helps to absorbed the liquids from the dogs urination.The layer 274 is the super absorbent polymer layer that helps absorbboth the liquid urination and anything off of the solid deposit from thedog's defecation. Next comes another tissue layer 276 for further liquidabsorption and finally the bottom layer 278 is made of a plastic orsimilar non-absorbent or impervious to liquids to prevent any otherurine or solids to leak through the rolled up soiled roll of pads readyfor removal and deposit before a fresh supply of roll of pads isinstalled in the supply and connected to the rod assembly in the take uphousing.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus having predetermined cycles for automaticallyremoving pet waste, comprising: a pet waste platform including anaperture; a roll of pads; a supply housing for holding a fresh portionof the roll of pads located at a first end of a length of the platform,wherein a bottom surface of the roll of pads comprises a plurality ofsensor-readable marks, wherein the supply housing comprises a bottomportion of the supply housing disposed below the waste platform and acover top portion of the supply housing configured to secure the freshportion of the roll of pads within the supply housing; a take up housingfor receiving a soiled portion of the roll of pads located at a secondend of the length of the platform, wherein the take up housing comprisesa bottom portion of the take up housing disposed below the wasteplatform and a cover top portion of the take up housing configured toseal the soiled portion of the roll of pads within the take up housing;a take up assembly comprising a rod, wherein the rod is configured toattach to an end of the fresh roll of pads in the take up housing forwinding the soiled portion of the roll of pads around the rod in thetake up assembly; and a control and drive module removably coupled tothe apparatus, wherein the control and drive module comprises a marksensor below the platform configured to read the plurality ofsensor-readable marks on the bottom surface of the roll of pads throughthe aperture on the platform located between the mark sensor and thebottom surface of the roll pads, wherein the mark sensor is furtherconfigured to track a position of a portion of the pad on the roll anddetermine the amount of pads remaining on the roll; wherein the controland drive module is configured to actuate the rod for advancing thesoiled portion of the roll of pads across the waste platform in apredetermined manner; wherein the roll of pads exits the supply housingat a supply level below a horizontal surface of the pet waste platformand is taken up at a take up level below the horizontal surface of thepet waste station in the take up housing.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the control and drive is configured to be activated by an enduser using a device communicatively coupled to the control and drivemodule wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of: apushbutton on the control and drive module, a remote control, a nearfield communications device, a home automation system, a Smartphone, andan Internet connected device.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising asensor capable of detecting a presence of an animal for scheduling amovement of the roll of pads across the pet waste platform.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the sensor detects pet waste on the rollof pads across the waste platform to activate removal of the soiledportion of the roll of pads and replace the soiled portion of the rollof pads with the fresh portion of the roll of pads.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, comprising a pair of end caps coupled to each end of the rod toseal in the pet waste contained within the roll of pads wound around therod.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control and drive modulecomprises a drive shaft with a shaft gear on a distal end of the driveshaft, wherein at least one of the pair of end caps includes an end capgear to mesh with the shaft gear configured to actuate the rod, whereinthe rod actuates in a rotation capable of winding up the soiled padsaround the rod.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control anddrive module comprises: a motor configured to activate the shaft gearand actuate the rod; and pushbuttons to control the motor in apredetermined way in order to control the movement of the roll of padsacross the waste platform.